Tuesday, August 5, 2025

Blangiardi attends Hiroshima bombing 80th anniversary ceremonies, Honolulu cancels empty homes tax study, school starts today, more news from all the Hawaiian Islands

Honolulu mayor named ‘honorary citizen’ ahead of Hiroshima bombing anniversary. Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi is set to be the only U.S. official to attend a peace ceremony marking the bombing of Hiroshima eight decades later. Hawaii News Now.

Hawai‘i’s lurking nuclear dilemma. Hawai‘i pushes to decarbonize, but also pushes away nuclear energy. But maybe that's starting to change as state officials move to open a nuclear energy conversation. Aloha State Daily.

School is back in session: Hopes for A+ in attendance. The Hawaii State Department of Education has expanded students access to transportation that will provide safe and reliable rides to school. KHON2.

Some Hawaii families scramble for after school childcare. Thousands of keiki across the state are back to school, but many of them still need after school child care. KITV4.

State Boards Must Release Records Showing Hiring Decisions, Judge Says. Two state boards have acknowledged that they violated Hawaiʻi’s Sunshine Law when they hired top-level state employees in a series of closed-door meetings and interviews. Last month, Circuit Court Judge Jordon Kimura issued an order that included the release of previously confidential executive session meeting minutes. Civil Beat.

Oahu

Honolulu Is Canceling Its Empty Homes Tax Study. Will That Kill The Bill? The yearlong study was supposed to help inform a now-stalled bill that would have increased property tax rates on unoccupied homes. Civil Beat.

Honolulu DPP launches new building permitting software. Speeding up the city Department of Planning and Permitting’s ability to process building permit applications began Monday, city officials said. Star-Advertiser.

City council to decide on Haleiwa zone change Wednesday. The Haleiwa Backyards Project developer is looking to build roughly 160 low-rise apartment units with 30,000 square feet of office and retail space, parking and a wastewater management system. KHON2.

Renovated classrooms double preschool capacity, cut waitlist. Wai‘alae Elementary Public Charter School is slashing its preschool waitlist by over 50% with the addition of a new classroom for the 2025–26 school year.  Star-Advertiser. Hawaii News Now. 

Nonprofit still searching for COFA citizens on Oʻahu to apply for COVID funeral aid. A federal program providing funeral assistance to those who lost loved ones — excluding citizens of Micronesian nations — to COVID-19 is set to end in late September. Hawaii Public Radio.

Hawaii Island

Hawaiʻi’s High-Priced Geothermal Consultants Are Getting Heat. Hawaiʻi wanted to educate Big Island residents about geothermal energy. So far, the plan seems to be backfiring. Civil Beat.

Trial set for Big Island brothers suing state over wrongful conviction compensation. Albert Ian and Shawn Schweitzer are the first to get a trial date of the Hawaii men freed so far because new evidence showed they did not commit the crime that sent them to prison. Hawaii News Now.

North Kohala customers asked to reduce water use by 25% due to down wells. Only one of the three wells serving the region is currently operational, water supply officials say. Big Island Video News. Big Island Now. KHON2. 

Maui

Maui fire settlement still ironing out details. As the two-year anniversary of the deadly Maui wildfires nears, a four billion dollar global settlement in principle is still pending in court. KHON2.

Post-wildfire housing stability improvements on Maui reflected in surveys. A running monthly survey of people affected by Maui’s wildfire disaster nearly two years ago suggests that some market rental housing rates have begun to come down after spikes tied to emergency needs. Star-Advertiser.

Better tools for Maui Police Department since 2023 wildfires include new helicopter, rapid DNA machine. The wildfires led to the creation of the Morgue Identification and Notification Task Force, or MINT, and later to the establishment of the permanent Cold Case Unit that MPD launched in October 2023 to investigate unsolved homicides and missing persons cases.  Maui Now.

Lahaina to mark two years since wildfires with memorial gatherings, tributes. Two years after the deadliest U.S. wildfire in over a century tore through Lahaina, the people of Maui will gather to remember the 102 lives lost and reflect on a long and ongoing recovery. Star-Advertiser.

Maui County Charity Walk raised record $1.75 million. It was a record-breaking day for island charities and their benefactors Aug. 1 as The Maui Hotel & Lodging Association held a special reception breakfast at the Westin Maui Resort & Spa celebrating the 46th annual Maui County Charity Walk, which raised an unprecedented $1.75 million for 76 nonprofit organizations. Maui News.

Community hope and healing take root at a native planting project above Lahaina. It’s a sunny morning on the hillside above Lahaina. Volunteers have gathered to spend their Sunday watering more than 4,000 native plants and trees in a lush, 2-acre area. Around it, hundreds of acres are brown and barren. Hawaii Public Radio.

Kauai


Kaua‘i County now accepting proposals for this fiscal year’s Innovation Grants. Focus areas include small business, technology, transportation, agriculture, local manufacturing, creative industries, workforce development, circular economies, and tourism destination management and product development. Kauai Now.

Electric and hybrid vehicles temporarily not accepted at Puhi Metals until further notice. Due to the potential for hazardous conditions, shipping and handling procedures of these vehicles are being updated at the recycling center, according to a Kaua‘i County press release. Kauai Now.

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